Apparatus and processes have been known for many years for assembling containers of the type comprising a receptacle portion and a closure portion. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,361,366; 3,214,887; and 4,683,706 disclose apparatus for assembling jars and lids in which the leading edge of each jar engages a lip on a randomly selected lid held in a magazine and set at an angle to the direction of movement of the jar; so that, the lid is pulled from the magazine due to engagement with the jar and then drops over the mouth of the jar. U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,615 shows an apparatus for conveying arrays of objects to a position for insertion into a box, in which the arrays are positioned, regardless of the size of the array, against a fixed guide prior to insertion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,480 discloses a method and apparatus for placing a loose, shallow cover on a box, in which a randomly selected lid held in a magazine and set at an angle to the direction of movement of the box is gripped at one end and tilted into the path of movement of the box while the other end of the lid remains in the magazine, after which the box engages the lid and pulls it from the magazine, causing the lid to drop over the mouth of the box.
For certain types of products, such as packs of photographic film or paper, it is important that the box for the product have a tightly fitting cover to minimize the potential for entrance of light, dust and moisture. Thus it has been common practice to package such products in sleeve type boxes with tight fitting telescopic lids of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A package 10 to be boxed may comprise in the well-known manner a stack of sheets of photographic film within an evacuated pouch. Typically, such a package is provided, at its end which will be first removed from the box, with a flap 12 which is folded over onto the package prior to boxing, as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. The sleeve type box or container for the package comprises a receptacle portion 14 having a bottom wall 16, a peripheral wall portion 18 and a mouth 20 surrounded by an edge 22. Receptacle portion 14, in the case of boxes for photographic products, is sized to closely surround package 10 and is made from a stiff cardboard which is light impervious. A lid or closure portion 24 is provided for the container and comprises a top wall 26, a peripheral wall 28 and a mouth 30 surrounded by an edge 32. Typically, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, peripheral wall portion 18 of receptacle portion 14 is relieved along a band 34 of 2 to 3 inches in width around mouth 20; so that, mouth 30 can tightly, telescopically receive a portion of peripheral wall portion 18. The depth of engagement between receptacle portion 14 and closure portion 24, particularly in the case of photographic products, preferably is the same for all sizes of products, to give equal protection against the ingress of light or dust. To ensure a tight fit between receptacle portion 14 and closure portion 24, the two are co-manufactured as a matched pair, thereby minimizing excessively tight or loose fits which inherently would result from tolerance mismatches if the receptacle portions and closure portions were made separately and randomly matched at assembly.
As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, package 10 is inserted into receptacle portion 14 and then closure portion 24 is assembled to receptacle portion 14. When portions 14,24 are provided as a matched pair, as is preferred for photographic materials, automation of the steps of removing the closure portion, holding the receptacle portion, inserting package 10 and finally reassembling the container has proven difficult, with the result that such operations frequently are done manually. Apparatus are known for removing the closure portion from such a matched pair, inserting a package and then slipping the closure portion in a straight line path back onto the receptacle portion. In such known apparatus, however, slight misalignments between the receptacle portion and the closure portion can lead to an interference fit which jams the apparatus or damages the product. Furthermore, when various sizes of packages 10 are to be inserted into correspondingly sized containers, existing apparatus generally requires a rather complicated readjustment or reconfiguration whenever the sizes change. Because of the width of relief band 34 and the tight fit of the matched portions, engagement of receptacle portion 14 with closure portion 24 during assembly must be carefully controlled, to prevent the closure from becoming cocked relative to the receptacle, which can lead to jamming and damage to the container.